162
44mttitatt Nreolltevin
pitutott vittagetiot.
THURSDAY, JUNIII 0, isei.
JOHN W. MEARS, EDITOR.
ASSOCIATED •
ALBERT BARNES aEortop DuPPIELD, la.
THOMAS BRAINERD, !JOHN JENKINS,
lIENNT DARLING; THOMAS J. SHEPHERD.
SPIRIT OF THE ASSEMBLY.-ADTUST
MENT OF HOME MISSIONS.
We have great reason to rejoice in our Assem
bly. When we look back upon our history in
the perilous times through which we have been
brought, we may, indeed, thank GO and take
courage. One difficulty after another has been
faithfully and manfully met;, and our success,
under God, is owing to our simplicity, and sincerity
of-purpose. To maintain truth, otder, righteous
ness, has been more to us than temporary expe
dienoy, and the great Head of the Church has
strengthened and consolidated us, giving us a
success and stability almost unhoped. "It is safe
to do right."
There was much in the spirit of the last Assem
bly that was trfily delightful. The meetings on
the atdte of the country stirred the hearts of all
men within range of the Assembly. Religion
and patriotism mingled their fires, and all hearts
were aglow. When the resolutions on the state
of the country came to be adopted—strong as was
their language—the vote was rinanimous, and ex
pressed by each man rising to his feet, while so
lemn
thanks were given to God, and prayer offered
for our Government and the success of our arms
in this most righteous cause. No action of the
General Assembly, in all the three hundred years
since 'the first one met in Scotland, has , been more
noble. It won golden opinions in Syracuse, and
the whole time of the meeting was an ovation.
Never did & people receive an Assembly more cor
dially to their homes and heaits.
The notion of the Assembly on the great ques
tion of taking the whole business of Home Mis
sions under the care of the Church, without fur
ther connection with any society or other denomi
nations, was entirely unanimous. It sent a thrill of
rejoicing through the whole body. Some of those
in attendance could not but contrast the present
with the past, with the grateful feeling that faith
ful and courageous action is never lost, however
it may seem at first to run counter to the settled
purposes and opinions of men. Surely the Church
Extension Committee of 1855 has blossomed and
borne fruit.
The next question in regard to our home mis
sionary operations concerned the relation between
the Home Missionary Committee and the Presby
teries. This point occasioned much discussion.
The substance of the question was this: Whether
the Assembly's Committee or the Presbyteries
should have the power of appointing the mission
aries, and fixing their locations and salaries. The
point is vital to .a system of home missions. It
was finally settled that the Presbyteries should
each appoint a Committee of Home Missions, who
should nominate the missionaries, and recommend
their localities and salaries, but that .the appoint
ing power should be with the Assembly's Com
mittee. It is not going too fir to say that with
less power than this in the Assembly's Committee,
no successful system of Home Missions can be
carried on. With less power than this it would
be impossible to secure funds to support the mis
sions. The Assembly; on this point, were guided
to a very fortunate conclusion.
The next points related to the locality of the
Committee, and the officers. It is unnecessary to
dwell upon all the preliminaries by which the con
clusions of the Assembly were reached. There
was an evident feeling from the first in about two
thirds of the body, that it was best to locate the
Committee'at New York. It was freely acknow
ledged that Philadelphia had done hitherto far
more than New York for our denominational in
terests; that her laymen bad never been found
wanting in any of our Church difficulties, and
that the fullest` acknowledgment ought to be made
of her noble fidelity to the Church. It was ad
mitted that the Church Extension Committee bad
done its work admirably, and that it had brought
forward and sustained a proper Church feeling,
and had grown steadily from small beginnings to a
position where success was certain. Philadel
phians, and not a few others, believed, and still
believe, that it was a great mistake not to give the
work to that Committee with a different name and
enlarged functions. A cordial recognition of the
services of Philadelphia was indeed made in every
form, and an earnest gratitude was manifested for
her past efforts, and yet to all the claims presented
by Philadelphia, it was still urged that the inte
rests of the Church demanded that the Committee
should be in New York, and that the principal
Secretary should be there. This granted, how
ever, a willingness was manifested to make any
concession that Philadelphia might ask. The
spirit was not at all like that of a reckless ma
jority, determined to vote every thing through.
It was that of brethren who are anxious to com
promise And satisfy, as far as it was at all possible,
all parties. Hence, the whole debate was kindly
throughout, both towards the West and Phila
delphia.
After the Assembly voted that the Committee
should be established at New York, three points
were yielded to Philadelphia. They first resolved
that of the fifteen members of the Committee,
five should reside in Philadelphia or vicinity.
Mere than five was not desired, as it was admitted
that ten were needed in New York and vicinity,
to make a working quorum, as most of the meet
ings will probably be held there. In the case of
the Church Extension Committee, two meetings
in the year were held in NA York, and the others
in Philadelphia.
The next concession was that there should be,
besides: the General Secretary in New York, an
Associate Secretary, also, who should reside in
Philadelphia. Provision was also made for 'as
many district secretaries as the Cottradttee should
deem necessary. It was also arranged that the
Associate Secretary was not, like the district more
taries, to have local functions only, but to be I
placed upon the Committee so as to be concerned
in the general management of Home Missions.
It will thus be seen that the spirit which pre
vailed was, as far as was possible with the select
ing of one city rather than the other, a spirit of
conciliation and compromise. Our object ought
to be none other than the accomplishing the great
work of Home Missions in the best manner. By
a unanimous vote the Assembly have now taken
it entirely under their own care, and they have
shown s'strong disposition, as far as possible, to
conciliate every part of our entire Church. If
every part have not obtained every thing that
was desired, we are to remember 'that this cannot
always be had, We laid the whole matter befoie
fin Assembly fairly convened.
,The fullest oppor
tunity for debate was allowed. Propositions,
even, to restrict the speakers to three, or five, or
ten minutes, were , voted
,dewn, and a very kind
regard was shown both for the feelings and wishes
of brethren every where. ,
In these circumstances, we have hut one course
to pursue. It is the glory of Philadelphia and
Pennsylvania, and of all the field that naturally
centres here, to be loyal to the Church. We have
upheld its banner in the darkest hour. We have
poured out our treasure for it when few hearts
trembled for the ark. of God. We have been
thorough Presbyterians from principle and not
from interest. We do not intend to allow any
private interests, any local feelings, to control us
now. We go for the Church, and the: whole
Church, now and always. We stand by the As
sembly in all its constitutional utterances, and in
all its fairly consummated action. * We are against
all secession and all faction. We go for our
Church in its bright sunshine of prosperity, as
we went for it in its dark hour of adversity. No
one ever really loses by truth, by honor, and by
loyalty. The city, the district, like the individual
who does right because it is right, will-=presently
be set on high, and all men will honor the loyal
in heart and hand. More especially will this be
done, when the hearts of our brethren are so much
with us already, when Philadelphia has come to be
in our Church, a synonym for liberality and
fidelity, and when it is the deep feeling of every
Presbyterian that she can be trusted-in her noble- '
ness with or without rewards for it.
ACTS 02 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
1. Report of a Committee on Statistical Re
turas, adopted, which recommends
~no ttew me
thods, but careful and accurate compliance with
the methods already indicated by the Assembly.
2. The first Monday in - January was -appointed
a day of fasting and prayer for the conversion-of
the world, and the last Thursday in February a
day of prayer for colleges, &c.
. 8. A vote of sympathy for pastor Fisch and his
fellow Christians and pastors in France.
4.• A call for "extraordinary prayer and labor,
that our noble young men who go in the spirit of
Lexington and Bunker Hill to the defence of the
Constitutim and laws, may be kept from the
temptations of the camp and the field."
5. Preamble and•Resolutions'on the STATE OF
ME COUNTRY. These we gave in our last issue.
G. Appointment of a committee on a Fund for
disabled ministers. Judge Allison, M. W. Bald
win, Jos. H. Dulles, and Samuel C. Perkins.
7. A resoldtion expressing the delight of the
Assembly with the cordial, fraternal utterances of
the delegates from corresponding bodies.
8. Report of the Standing Committee on Fo
reign Missions, adopted.
9. Decision in regard to a Presbyterial quorum
and other matters, the purport of which does not
appear in the reports. •
10. Report of the committee on Mileage, show
ing that all but sixteen Presbyteries had contri
buted to the Fund, making a total of $4,345, from
which, after paying all claims of commissioners,
a balance of $5OO remained.
11. Report of the standiniCommittee on Pub
lication. Substantially a report of approval.
12. Report commending Ingham University.
13. Messrs. J. W. Benedict, W. E. Dodge, and
W. S. Griffith, elected Trustees of Church Elec
tion Fund.
14. Friday, June 28th, appointed a day of fast
ing and prayer for the nation. -
15. Drs. Kendall, Thompson, Darling, Spear,
and Hawley, were appointed a committee to devise
a. plan of Systematic Collection for the churches.
16. The amended report on Home Missions
adopted, and a committee of ~ f ifteen appointed, to
be called the PRESBYTERIAN COMMITTEE OF
HOME MISSIONS. Names of committee on the
first page.
17. Trustees of the Presbyterian House ap
pointed.
18. Amended plan of Education adopted.
19. Narrative on the State of Religion; adopted.
20. A report on the State of Theological Semi
naries, adopted.
21. Closing routine—business-bill ordered paid,
votes of thanks, &o.
ITEMS.
THE INTEREST felt in our Assembly upon. the
State of the Country, isinadequately represented
by the reports which have been spread before the
community. The Resolutions, .though adopted
unanimously, were the subject of what the N. Y.
Observer terms "a brilliant and powerful discus
sion." The same journal gives the following so:
count of their passage:
. Before the vote, was taken, the Moderator, in
most solemn tones, expressed his unqualified ap
probation of the resolutions, their language, their
spirit, their purpose, and their temper. All were,
he said, eminently worthy of the cause, the occa
sion, and the Assembly. When the vote was put,
the entire body rose, and when the negatives were
called, not a solitary individual rose. The solemn
proceedings were then endorsed by an invocation
of God's blessing upon the Resolutions and the
Government During this impressive part of the
exercises, our Southern brethren were cordially
remembered and most kindly prayed for, that they
may see their error and yield their obedience to
the laws and the national Government.
The death of Cor.. ELLSWORTH' was also feel
ingly alluded
,to, on Friday afternoon, by Rev. Dr.
Wisner, who spoke of him as "just murdered in
the discharge of his duty." A member from Me
chanicsville, N. Y., (Rev. Philander Barbour, 'we
suppose,) after the announcement of the death of
Col. Ellsworth, stated that Col. E.'s mother was
a member of his church. He asked that she
might have the prayers of the Assembly.
Da. COX AND HIS Amin:Ex.—A correspondent
of the N. Y. Evangelist says:
The veteran Dr. Cox is here; of course we have
had three or four meteoric showers of peculiar
brilliancy. While he was replying yesterday to
Dr. Fisch, the French delegate, I was amused at
the openmouthed wonder with which an unso
phisticated country member listened to him; and
when the Doctor's last rocket went off in crimson
and golden stars, tha rural member leaned over
and said, "Did you ever hear the like of that?
that glorious old fellow is the man for me." Did ,
ever a learned bead lie nearer to a loving heart
than in that manly figure yonder, crowned with
its coronal of white locks? In one of the Doctor's
extraordinary flights, h 6 exclaimed: "In heaven
there will be no more hungering, no more thirst,
no mom tears, no more sin,—yes! thank God! no
more secession of the devil and his angels."
TOE LIFE OF BEDLEY Vrosits the Christian
soldier of the Crimea, is now published by the
Cawrsas, of New York, in a cheap form, with
flexible covers, very bandy for carrying at 0 ets.
single, or $l5 per hundred. No better use could
be made of $l5 just now than the furnishing of
a company with this .delightful little volume of.
Christian experience and transcript of pure affec
tion from a true English soldier's' heart. For
sale at the PRESBYTERIAN IlousE 1484 Chestnut
Street. I
-
Amtriran fttoolrgteriattlaid 16, entritt granttliga4
THE ASSEMBLY IN PHILADELPHIA.
ACTION ON THE STATE OT THE ,00IINTRY
The Seventh Church of Philadelphia, after the
lapse of a quarter of a century, has again become
the scene of a most exciting discussion, involving
nothing less than the unity of, the branch of the
church there represented, just as it did in ; 4.837.
That branch, which, since it passed the exseinding
acts, has claimed to be the Presbyterian ura,
the National Presbyterian Church, the great .con
servative church of the land, one of
,the. main
links to bind this .political union together,--the
Ateift of all which, and the repetition of all
wificji. has filled its members with no small degree
of self-complacency, and imparted a trace of arro
gance to their treatment of others,—has just been
compelled to pass the dreaded and despised or
deal of a prolonged discussion upon subjects called
"political," as well as to bear a clear and une
quivocal testimony upon., them. And there can
be no .doubt but that the result Will - be diiision:
a division too, upon or near the. very boundary on
both sides of which it was the glory of;this church
to have existed and flourished in equalmeasure;
As the occasion is deeply instructive, we may
as. well put a brief account of it on record.
On the third day' of the session of the Assem
bly, the 18th of May, Rev. Dr. Spring, who was
fresh from the air of New York, and who had not
forgotten the unparalleled outpouring of the my
riads of the.metropolis in a t patriotic assemblage
which he had opened with prayer, moved ftor
"A committee - to report whetherit was wise and ent
pedient for this. Assembly to; make any expression
of attachment to the American Union, and to the
Constitution, and government, and if so, what ex
pression should be given."
On motion of Rev. Mr. Hoyt, of Tennessee,
the proposal was laid on the table by a vote of
122 to 102.. The effort was made to procure a
reconsideration of the vote, which. was resisted by
Dr. Hodge, of Princeton, and favored by - Hon.
W. Lowrie who, like Dr. Spring, had been breath
ing the healthy air of the city; Meanwhile, other
orders came in, leaving the matter in a state of
incertitude, until Wednesdhy, the 22d, when Dr.
Spring offered 'a preamble and resolutions, acknow
ledging the authority of government in general,
appointing a day of prayer for our rulers, and for
peace, and declaring it to be the duty of ministers
and churches of that Assembly to promote our
national integrity, and to uphold the government.
Dr. Spring's remarks on offering these.resolutions,
are reported in the Potsbyteriatt as follows :
He was of opinion that to make no utterance
by this Asgembly would place us in a false posi
tion before the country and the world—would be
a failure in a manifest duty, and would b'e misun
derstood, and so construed as greatly to - injure our
Church, distract our people, and injure the cause
of religion. The resolutions presented last week,
were designed to prevent any rash action which he
had feared might be proposed; and he was sur
prised and grieved to find that their spirit was
so wholly misunderstood. The wording of that
paper was- cautious and well considered. The
laying on the table of those resolutions placed the
Assembly in a false position before the Church
and the country; and if not explained would dis
tract our people and injure our cause. The in
fluence which the action of last week has thrown
upon the friendsrof revolt throughout the country,
and upon the friends of the. Government, was of
the most unhappy kind, as be was well-informed,
by adviees received both from the North and the
West. He hoped that the. Assembly would calm
ly consider the paper he bad to propose, and that
whatever we did we would do in the fear.of God.
For one, said he,.l am prepared to vote for these
resolutions. As, a citizen, as pastor of a con
gregation that has done something for this Church
and this country; as a Christian; and as his fa
ther's son he could not refrain from doing this
much.. He. hoped that the paper, would meet with
the favor of his brethren of the Assembly.
Instead of at once passing the very calm and
moderate, yet explicit, resolutions thus offered,
they were suffered to lie over until Friday, the
24th inst., thus exposing the Assembly to exten
sive suspicions - of 'disloyalty all over our city, and
leading to a harmless but significant demonstration
from some mischievous parties upon-one of the
pillars of the church, which, however, was prompt
ly removed by the police of the city.
And here we may remark, once for all, that
the impression made by the entire delay, which
lasted altogether from Saturday of the ;first week
to Wednesday evening of the third week of the
session, as well as by the very fact of debate at
all, was most unhappy and painful to every friend
of the country. -Nut unaware of the great in
fluence of this. General Assembly upon public opi
nion, we could not but feel troubled and anxious
for the effect of . these,
_days almost weeks—of
doubt, upon the community and the numerous
membership of that church; as' if the tremendous
question between loyalty and rebellion was an open
one; as if a venerable church, proudly claiming
to be the Presbyterian Church of the United
States, supposed to be imbued with the spirit of
the Scripture, and a reliable guide in Christian
morali, must hesitate when confronted with pa
triotism and treason within her own borders, and
leave it for a moment doubtful whether one was
a crime and the other a virtue, or whether they
were quite indifferent in themselves, and derived
their character solely from the diversities of loca
lity and circumstance in which they were exhibit
ed, To create such an uncertainty is to unman
the soldier fighting for his country; it is to weak
' en his uplifted arm and dim the sharpness of his
sight with the sickening fear lest while he thought
himself a hero, he might be no better than a fili
buster or a murderer.
That such a pernicious impression was made,
cannot he doubted, and. that it was -beyond the
power of the body, even in the noble action they
at length took—but took in the face of a strong
and influential and partly northern minority—to
undo the mischief, is equally beyond dispute. As
loyal citizens, we feel compelled to put it on re
cord, that the protracted delay to act, and the able
and subtle arguments against action s and the re
sistanee offered to it, and persevered in to the
very last by prominent Fand influential- men in
the body, all tended to unsettle the judgment
and dampen the patriotism of Some, and to con
firm the secret - hostility of others towards the go
verntnent. At times, the air, of the debate was
fearfully oppressive. We were carried back to
those dark and doleful days of the republic, when
the best thing the chief executive of the nation
could do for it was to shed tears. We had well
nigh forgot that since those gloomy days, the 'cla
rion call to arms, from a voice of another tone, had
rung through the land, and summoned up as if by
one magic impulse, a quarter of a million of brave
Men, including thousands from the ccingregations
of this very Presbyterian • church, Co do or die.in
defence of the constitution.
But to proceed with the recital.
On Friday morning, by general consent, all
other business was waived, to take up the proposed
resolutions of Dr. Spring, and the debate was
opened. : Dr. Thomas, of Daytou, Ohio; led off in
a speech of the most decided eharacter,,full ref
pithy and sharp appeals, expresSing'astonishmeilt
and sitime'itt: the 'delay Of theahody`to veto, While
•
elders, deacons, and fureli-members of their own
body bad gone out to'cti A ,foribem. He announced
that in the event of the'faijpiio pase Dr. Spring's
resolutions, there were i4undied thousand Pres
byterians of the West and ITorthwest who would
never again be,re,presetited_o•uthe floor of ths 481
suably. He wits fellowekhy IV r. Gillespie, of
Tennessee,laud other o;the other side, who, for
getful of the in] piobabilitrofisatisfying and retaining
the. North without aetimimprised the resolutions
of Dr. Spring, because if adopted they would drive
off the South. •
But Dr. Hodge, of Prinieton, 130 W teak- the
floor in opposition to thereso utions of Dr. Spring.
Our business, he was pot, to vote to sustain
the government, but to held this,ehurch together,
as a sort of skeleton' byw!iich, hereafter, to re
construct 'more easily -ouridivided 'union! This
church, he said, was the bist.link which held the
union, together. lie, individually, was a patriot
as much as any.other man, but he intimated that
it was unfair for this body, having happened to
meet this year in a Northern city, and with an
accidental preponderance;of Northern delegates,
to pass resolutions of, tolyalty; just as it would
have been unfair if, happening to meet in a
Southern state, it heitetulorsed the 'Southern con
federaey I 'Loyalty an treason were , skilfully
covered up under the' term "'differences of poli
tical opinion," which of course are not tests of
church-membershiP: Tenol ba . ving becOme'evi
dent that the' greatintijoXY of the Assembly were
determined to take 130111 attion, Dr. Hodg,e, ,di
recited his energies to, the reduction of it to - a mi
nimum, and •with that end in view, offered < a pa
per which remitted the whole subject to the mem
bers of the church in their respective localities, in
the following language
"True to their hereditary rinciples, the minis
ters and elders present in the Assembly have met
the emergency by the most decisive proof, in their
respective social, and civil relations, of their'firm
devotion to the Constitution and laws under which
we live; and they are .ready , at all snitable times
2
and at whatever personaFsacrifice, to testify their
loyalty to that 'Constitution under which 'this
goodly vine has sent out, her boughs iiite the- sea,
and her branches into the river.'" -
To this was added :three reasons for refusing to
make a more emphatic and extended deliverance,
among which Dr. Hodge's idol of a great national
church, now ,magnified into the only national
church, figures lately. Thus the allegiance given
by Presbyterians of the 8 - outh . to the rebel govern
ment is attempted to be:pkteed on the same level
of religious duty as tire tk,iyalty of the Presbyte
rians of other sections to the true and lawful go
vernment of the United States, and the disregard
of solemn oaths and covenant obligations by the
one party is dignified into a virtue, as truly such,
as fidelity to them -by the other party! If this
is not putting . light for darkness and darkness for
light, then no such proems has ever taken place.
There are eminences of
,deliberative wisdom and
sagacity which raise us above the , petty disputes
of men, and , show us their insignificance,but it is
only by going far down in the slough of expedi
ency that we can.`'lose sight of such radical dis
tinctions as ire here ignored.
, .
But there were, men on : the floor in a moment
who were thoroughly prepared to meet and refute
these sophiitries, and they availed nothing for the
purpose intended. Dr. Anderson, of California,
ridiCuled them.
He said it was useless to try to droWn.the As
sembly with such milk-and-water sophistry as that
coptained-ie the substitute. - It .was,,entirely too
.weak. was convosPir. of about , one gallon of
milk to five barrels of ester (Great laughter, and
applause.) The "Assnuihly Ought to speak,out
boldly upon this occasion., :
Dr. Spring spoke wish eniphasis, as an
aged man conveying, ; in all probability, his last
message, and giving his last counsel to his bre
thren :--
He ivaw arriazed' at the diluted character of the
substitute. He was surprised that Dr. Hodge had
read it to him. Pass it, and be would not like
to say how many of the Synod of New York would
again meet with the General Assembly. The only
present hope unity was this side of the line.
He felt that this was; perhaps, the 1 Ist time he
would ever address the. General Assemblyon earth,
as be was old and feeble. 'He knew not- why the
God of heaven had placed him in his present po
sition; but he trusted that it was that his last ut
terance might be in behalf of that glorious Union
for which his father had-fought, and for which he
himself bad never' ceased, and should never cease
but with life, to labor and to pray. -
It is quite impossible for, us to follow out the
debate which went over from day. to day, attract
ing a dense but orderly crowd to the building,
which blocked , up every aisle and passage way,
and patiently uaited for the denouement.
A very unique' feature of the discussion, and
one which indeed gave it a "political" cast, was
the correspondence by telegraph • and otherwise
with officers of the government on . the 'proposed
action'of the Assembly. Attorney General Bates,
it seems, is , an elder in one of the churches of this
branch in St. Louis, and it appears that upon
being asked by Dr. Wines whether in his opinion
and that of the cabinet, the best thing the As
sembly could do to sustain the government would
be to preserve the unity of the church
.by abstain
ing from discussion,he answered :by. telegraph;
"Yes; for myself decidedly; and I believe for
other members of the Cabinet." The other side
were not to be overborne by the authority of a
name thus singularly introduced; they chose their
man, and-wrote' to the bold and uncompromising
Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Chase. His reply
by telegraph, as read by Dr. Edwards, of tlus city,
was as- follows • ,
"Cannot properlytadv Me; but perceive no valid
objection to unequivocal expressions in favor of
the Constitution, Union, and freedom"
This was received with applause
During tte coUrse,of debate, speeches were made
by a large number of the members, of Which there
were from this eity,fßev. Mr. Watts against, and
Dr. Musgrave for the resolutions; Mr. Waller, of
Bloomsburg, in this State, also made 'a very ef
fective speecti on the affirmative, Dr. Yeomans on
the negative; Dr. Lord, of Chicago, on the affir
mative; Rev. Wm. Baker,, of Texas, son of Rev.
Daniel Baker, the *ell-known Rvangelisf of that
State, on the negative. - Almost all ofthe speeehes
on the negative, even when from a Southern source,
were professedly efts " Union" character, and the
opposition to the resolutions was based upon 'the
inexpediency of such action, as, though in itself
right and proper, it would inevitably drive off the
South, " Union mon ":and all.. •
On Monday night,.Dr jiodge,made an inef
fectual move to lay the whole subject on the ta
ble; the vote was two to one against the proposi
tion. The next day fr. committee was appointed
to whom the whole subject'Wif referred, with in
structions to report the same afternoon at 4 o'clock.
The result was two- reports; a very weak one 'on
the part of the Majority, presented and urged by
Dr. Musgrave, the chairman, which proposed
,a
day of prayer for our country, and rulers,, and for
Congress: about: to ;assemble, and resolving that
the members of this Assembly : - '
"Do•hereby acknowledge and declare their
obligation, so far as in them lies, to maintain the
Constitution of these United;• States, in the full
exeroWe of all its legitimate powers, to 'preserve
our beloved Union nitimpaired, and to restore
its inestimable - blessings to every portion of the
land."
Also that this Assembly feels
"Bound td= abstain from any further declara
tion, it which - all'oul. ministers and members
faithful tg,ttle constimition and standards of the
Church might not he able conscientiously and
'safely to join?' - '
The failure to commit &gentile members ' of the
Assembly beyond a mere, expression of adherence
to the Constitution, the endeavor to avoid such
phraseology..as would frankly, unmistakeably and
authoritatively commit the body, as such, to, the
support of the Federal Government, and the ten
derness expressed in the resolutions to the con
sciences of rebels 'in the, garb of Presbyterians,
created much surprise--espectally in view of the
previous positions taken in debate by mem
bers of Conimittee—and a darker cloud thari
ever
_semed
,settling upon'the body. We are
betraying no secrets; when we report that a feel
ing of disappointment, mingled with disdain, if
nothing stronger, began to be freely expressed
towards a body which bad now seemingly suf
fered itself to be entangled past recovery in the
meshes, of, a .disloyal sentiment. Pew, indeed,
seemed.to care now what was done. But there
was saltyetin the body; true men renewed the
struggle bravely. Dr. Anderson, of California,
who had.not once wavered, alone in,the Commit
tee, presented Dr. Spring's resolutions as a
mi
nority report, and advocated therii,with.unabated.
warmth and ability. The debate WWI continued
until 6 o'clock on Wednesday evening„ the 29th.
We are rejoiced that the good name of the P;hila
delp'hia clergy of this Church was nobly vindi
cated before the debate closed; in the clear, manly
and business:like • speech of Dr: Edwards, of the
West Arch Street Church:' 'He ,proposed some
amendments, to Dr, Spring's resolutions,' which
carried' and theSesolutions thus amended-passed
by a vote of 154 to 66, as follows: .4"‘"
Gratefully acknowledging the' distinguished
bounty and care of Almighty God towards ,this
favored land, and also recognising our obligkions
to submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord's
sake this General: Assembly adopt the following
resolutions:
Resolved, That, in view'of the preient agitated
and unhappy condition of this country, the Ist
day of July next be hereby set apart as a day _of
prayer throughout our bounds, and that on this
day ministers and people are called on humbly to
confeas and bewail their national sins, and, to of
fei air' thanks to the Father of litht for. eHis
abundant and undeserved goodness towards ns as
a nation, to seek his guidance and blessing upon
Our rulers and their councils, as well as the as
sembled Congress of the United States, and to im
plore Him, in the name of Jesus Christ, the great
High Priest of the Christian profession, 'to turn
away his auger from us, and speedily restore to us
the blessings of a safe and honorable peace.
Resolved, Tbat this General Assembly, in the
spirit
' of that Christian patriotism which the Scrip
tures enjoin, and which has always characterized
this Church, do hereby ackn ow / ledge and declare
our obligation to promote and perpetuate, so fain
in'us lies, the integrity of these United States
and to strengthen, uphold and encourage the Fe
deral Government in the exercise of all its func
tions under our noble Constitution, and to this
Constitution in all its provisions, requirements and
principles, we profess our unabated loyalty. And
to avoid all misconception, the Assembly declare
that by the terms .4 Federal Governinent,' as here
uZed, is not meant any' particular administration,
or the peculiar opinions of any political' party, but
that central, administration which being at any
.
time appointed and inaugurated — according to the
'forms prescribed, by the Constitution of the United
States, is the visible representative of our National
existence.
Regrettin g , as we do, the delay in taking this
action, and the stubborn- opposition it received
from prominent Northern men, which afterwards
took the forti of a, protestdrawn up by Dr. Jiodge
and signed by forty others, we yet rejoice greatly
that a positivn so firm, so clear, so honorable to
the' name of Presbyterian, and so calculated to
right the wavering; and, as a "Moral influence, to
strike terror into the hearts of traitors, was taken
by a Church, which we have regarded as second to
but one other in the land. We are thankful that
our country's cause has found a new ally and
exponent in this fieat and influential body of
Christians. -No feeling of rivalrj , , no old grudge,
such as some with uneasy consciences find it very
convenient to charge upon us, exists to prevent
the expression of our relief, our gratification, our
increased sense of security and'of confidence in
the ultiinate triutnph of a cause, whose transcen
dent justice his secured the 'unqualified endorse
ment even of this "conservative" body, and con
strained it, in the emergency, to make sacrifice of
its territorial aspirations and its denominational
pride.
We cannot withhold an expression of sympathy
and admiration for the men of the majority, who
through the whole painful struggle maintained a
clear apprehension of the point at 'issue; nor espe
cially for that venerable patriot wholelt that he
was sent, doubtless for the last_ time, providentially
to sit in that Assembly, and use the fading rem
nants of his strength and voice in serving at once
his God and his country. When posterity has
forgotten the "conservatism' of Dr. Spring, it
will remember his bold stand at the commence
ment, his firm and unflinching attitude through
the whole debate, and his services.-in bringing to
an honorable conclusion this remarkable debate on
the State of the country.
ZEAL FOR LEARNING IN 31ICRONESIA.
The following statements communicated by Mr.
Doane, missionary of the American .Board on
Ebon Island , and published in the Missionary
-Herald, for June, is one of those cheering, but
surprising announcements of the - wakening of dead,
debased, heathen intellect, which it has so often
been the privilege of tie missionary of the gospel
to originate. It is not, indeed, the greatest boon
of the gospel to the heathen, but it is great beyond
calculation. The condition of these Micronesian
Islanders, lanai their very recent introduction to
the truths of the gospel by the self-denying mis
sionaries,,
was about as benighted and unpromising
as that of any, of the Polynesian race:
lam happy to say that the state of things among
us is of the most interesting character. Our school
has been in What I call ,successful operation for
about three months, and has progressed as encon
ragingly aswe•could ask.. Tbree months since we
had what we called a permanent attendance of about
fifteen seholars;- but now we have a daily, regular
attendance ofhhirty, and from that number to sixty:
And the interest manifested, by the scholars is
most pleasing. I see: nething like giving out.
We. teach' three daily, from .:9 o'clock to 12;
and during these lours of.-study,we have .no diffi
culty in, shcirring the attention of even the young
est learner. The more advanced read and re-read
theft book;; and much of it is coMmitted. to me
mory. After reading some two hours, they have
their;slates and pencils, and this -new exercise is
apparently as interesting to them as•ifit were mere
pastime. They write the:lessons in their bo4 B ,
and the Manes of one anOther, with real djheit!
;The youngest in his A 13 crovielits siafe
with these lessons, and then run frith it ' to his
teacher to get his approbation, as much pleased
its' I ever saw scholars. In geography; reciting
.from ' a map, the interest is deep. ButAnteresk
does not stop here. Out of the school there is,
in some form, about as much study as in it. Chil
dren playing on the beach are writing their names,
or Alf& words from theii books. T have gone
down to the beach, and found it, where children
have been playing, either by dayor in the moon
light evenings, all written over with names. - And
during almost all the hours out of school, through
the day and evening, our house is not a little
thronged with scholars, writing on-slatesor reading.
Many youth drop in, in the evening, - and stay as
long-as we allow, reading and writing. Our. little
printing-ofEce, too' in" the scene of like ' interest.
There are many faithful type setters there, and
the sheets printed artread, over before'tbe ink is
-fully dry upon them. So MS on- the canoes,--sail
lug; words are given out by one , and another
.for
spelling, and whole pages of our book'arerep'eated,
or as if set to regular Music, are sunewith real
gusto. Such is the interest about our school, and
as I have remarked, I see _nothing like flagging.
Indeed, those who have read our prirealibo.c4;till
they are quite masters of it, ask, not if they may
now stop their study, but what they shall do for
more reading? We are about printing portions
of the Gospels for reading-lessons. -
CONSTITUTION
OP THE PRESBYTERIAN COMMITTEE Or SOME
L The General Assembly, in accordance with
the obvious indications of Divine Providence, and
agreeably to the Constitution of the Church,
(Form of Gov., Ayirt.,) assumes_the, responsibi-
MY of conducting, the work of 'Home Missions
within its bound's.'
IL To this end, the Assembly hereby institutes
a permanent committee,
to be known as the Pres
byterian Committee ofHomeitissions, to be 10-
eated in ,the city of New York, to consist of fifteen
members, of whom not more than eight shall be
ministers of the gospel, to he arranged in the first
instance into three classes,' to serve one, two, and
three years respectively, and their successors to
serve for three years, to be appointed by the AS
sembly, five of them.to be a quornin for ordinary
business, and a majority for the election of officers,
and the determination of their salaries.
The committee shall elect annually a ge
neral secretary or secretaries, &treasurer, and such
other officers and agents as may be requisite for
the successful prosecution of the work. They
shall have power to fili, until the meeting of next
Assembly, their own vacancies, to appoint their
own Meetings, to determine the specific duties of
their officers, and make their own by-laws, subject
to the revision of the Assembly.
ART. IV.—jrhey shall undertake the work of
aiding such congregations as are not able to sup
port, in whole or in part, the stated Preaching of
the gospel, and of sending itinerating or resident
missionaries to the destitute in our own land.
And as it is the design of the General. Assem
bly not to supersede the different eccteSiastical
bodies connected with it, but to ericourage and
give unity and efficiency to their actaon, so as to
bring out the full adaptation•.: and force of the
Presbyterian system in Home 'Missions, the Pres
byteries are_' recommended to appoint Standing
Committees on Home Missions to explore their
destitutions; to select, and, if they think expe
dient, to nominate missionaries for their own field;
to recommend thy` amount of their compensation;
to secure an annual, contribution to the cause from
each of their churches; to be a medium of coal-
munication between the Presbytery and the As
,sembly's Committee; and to furnish annually to
this Committee, on or before the 15th of April,
a detailed statement of the Home Missionary
work within their boUnds.
ART. V.—The Committee shall appoint and
commission the missionaries, taking care to appoint
no one unacceptable to the Presbytery within
whose bounds be is to labor; they shall give
.them all -needful instruction as to the place and
character of 'their labors, securing, as far as prac
, -
ticable and regarding the
t-
advice and endorse
menof the Presbytery as-to the_selection and
and location of laborers, and their remuneration;
they shall 'make the necessary appropriations ,to
agenis,' eiphning and itinerating thinsionaries,
and congregations, it being , understood that no
appropriation shall be made to any. congregation
whose application is, not endorsed by the Presby
tery "with which such congregation stands con
nected, or the Committee of Presbytery; and
shall take measures to secure the effective -co-ope
ration of the Synods, Presbyteries, and churches,
in the work of exploration, in, securing mission
aries, and in obtaining funds for : the, common
treasury.
They shall keep a' faithful record of their pro
ceedings, and make an annual report Of all their
doings to the General Asseiubly:
VI. The Treasurer shall take charge. of the
moneys contributed to the cause; shall disburse
them only upon the duly certified order of the
committee, to whom he shall mike report of the
state 'of the treasury at such times as' they shall
direct, and give bonds annually , for the faithful
discharge, of his trusts, to such an amount as the
committee may determine. -
NEW REVIEWS
THE ,f 'ARMY " A TIANTIO. Tile I.e.ading or
gans of opinion in the Free States are devoting
themselves to the all-engrossing ,business of up
holding our government, and of imparting to
the popular enthusiasm the important elements
of stability, intelligence, and purpoie. The last
(June) number of- the ATLANTIC M orraux en
ters heartily, and effectively into, this patriotic
design; and no number in the entire forty-four
which have been issued; could equal it in fitness
and aceeptableness at this time. 'Ten,thausand
copies, it is said, ha.vnbeen ordered from:a sin
gle quarter, for distribution aniong the soldiers.
The military articles are, American Navigation,
a rapid review of our history as a maritime
pimer, with especial reference to the epoch of
the embargo of 1807;- Denmark Vesey, the story
of a dark plot among the negroes in Charleston
for the massacre of the whites of that city in
1822, which exhibited, on the part of the blacks,
all the qualities needful in organizing a wide
spreadinsurrection, and the memoriali of Which
are so "incendiary" that they have been de
stroyed, in a vast number of instances, by the
Carolinians; . New York Seventh Regiment, a
lively, picturesque description of that march—
destinedto be famous—to Washington via An
napolis, performed with the aid' of the Massa
chusetts %Eighth, those universal Yankees, under
General. Butler, to Whomfull praise is rendered;
Army Hymn,,a noble effusion by Dr. Holmes,
to be sung to Old Hundred, worthy of, the tune
and of the times; the Pickens and Stealins
Rebellion,• a "state of the country" article, in
which Ahe , position is taken that the President
would have been amply sustained in an .earlier
appeal to the patriotism ,of the people. By
Massachusetts undoubtedly he would.
MISSION SCHOOLS IN INDIA.
"New, York, May 20, 1861.
liEv. R. G. WILDER,
MY 'DEAR have just finished the peru
sal :of your volume on Alission Schools of the A.
B. C. F. M. in India. I - have read it with; such
intense interest,. that I greatly desire to see it
gaining a more rapid circulation. Please accept
the enelesed $15.00, and place that number of
volumes in - the hinds of as many different pastors,
and I will hope their misapprehensions may be
corrected by it, as Mine have, been. * *:**
Fours most truly,
Should other benevolent ~p ersons desire to follOw
the above eximple;and place - this Voluthein the
hands of missionaries, thlnisters, or others, where
it may do good 'service to the .cause of Missions,
the. Editor will be hap to furnish it at about
cost price, (69.00 per. dozen) in case of such or
ders as shall reach before embarking again
for India,,which , he^hopee to do in a few weeks.
Letters , to his address may be sent. to the , care
of Rev; , A. • B. D:; ; 159 Chambers
St. ) New York.
MISSIONS.
EDITOWS TABLE.
THE PARTISAN LEADERIingt issued by Messrs.
RUDD & CARLETON, of New Yerk, and for sal e
by Lippincott & Co., of this city, is among th e
literary curiosities of the' century. IS i n
1836 for the purpose of developing the Secession
spirt
*t. o fthe South it foreabadows in the form of
a romance, , the terrible realities which have just
burst upon our country. The author was the late
Beverly Tucker, belonging to a Virginia family
which.- originally emigrated from Bermuda, and
his specific aim was to prepare Virginia as a whole
=--the tidewater portion of it needed no prepara.
don—to fellow the,: Jead of South Carolina, when
the times were ripe for a renewal of the vain ef
forts of Mr. Calhoun's day. The N. Y. Courie r
and Enquirer, speaking of this remarkable book,
says Prof. Tucker "wrote a quasi history, i n ,
tending it for prophecy, and in the main it bas
come out terrifically true. Ile fixed the point of
time for his projected civil war in 1849, where as
it has come just twelve years later, having b een
delayed by causes not-foreseen by him. But in
most other respects the history of Secession in
1860 and 1861 may be read in these pages, writte n
and secretly printed so Icing ago as 1836. The
work is handsomely, got up, and must draw atten
'tention not only in our country, but in Europe,
as one of the most extraordinary books ever printed,
and withoitt which our national history cannot be
understood. it is indeed a' 'Helper' book in
both meanings' of that word."
THE METBODIBT PUBLISHING HOUSE, Messrs.
CARLTorr & PORTER, of New York, give evidence
of continued activity. They, have issued a novel
work of instruction in Scripture history and geo
graphy for Sabbath 'Schools and Bible Classes,
called LITTLE FOOT-PRINTS IN BIBLE - LANDS, by
J. H. Vincent, with an introdiktiOn . by Rev. Dr.
T. M. Eddy. The plan embraces questions and
answers, with chants and hymns, referring to, or
actually reciting, the subject of ? the lessons, the
maps and music being included in the comprehen
sive plan of the book. There are, also, many
passable engravings, and a Gazetteer and Index, all
complete in 139 12mo pages.
From the same source we have, also, LITE
AMONG THE Cuirass, with characteristic sketches
and incidents of missionary operations and pros
peets in China, by Rev. R.S. INIAOLAY, thirteen
years missionary, to China from the Methodist
Episcopal Church.' .A interesting book, the first
part of which is devoted to a description of the
peculiarities of the Chinese people, the latter part
being more strictly missionary . in its character. It
is welcome as aiding to increase the interest felt
in this third: part of the people of the whole earth,
as an object of evangelical labors. The add en _
dunt is an account of a Christian Chinese Wed
ding which originally appeared in the columns of
this paper from the pen of our correspondent in
Pub Chau. ,For sale by Ferkenpine and Higgins,
Phila.
Messrs. ,SIIELDON & CO., of New York, have
accomplished a great work in troublous times,_ the
issue of their beautiful and substantial library
edition of MILMAN'S LATIN CHRISTIANITY, now
complete in: eight volumes. The eighth volume
just on our table, carries the history down to the
death of Pope,.Nicholas V., in 1454, when it was
j'evident that the exclusive dominion of Latin
Christianity was drawing to a close." The recital
of this event is, followed by a comprehensive sur
vey, tracing, in successive essays, in a brilliant and
highly instructive manner,. the influence of Latin
Christianity on the belief„ the literature, the
forming lan g uages; the architecture, sculpture and
painting . of he nations amid which it prevailed.
A full, index_ to the eight volumes, comprising
sixty pages, completes the volume.-
We congratulate the Christian public, and the
publishers as well on the completion of this noble
enterprise. He who `desires to possess himself of
the views of a hearty and healthy, yet thoroughly
cultivated, English mind upon subjects which, as
heretofore handled by English Church Historians,
have lacked scholarly research and philosophical
breadth of 'view, or which; as handled by the
thorough Gentian, have been- enveloped in cloud
or systematized into "a dry forrnalitf, will find them
here:- the faults, to a considerable degree, avoided
and the excellencies combined: a genial, readable,
'Zinc historyof men land things in whit, for ages,
was the leading section of the Church of Christ.
While in many specialties we might- find occa
sion for , dissent, we freely, Coin inend l the HISTORY
OF LATIN CHRISTIANITY as a first-class work. For
sale by W. S. k A. Martien, price t 1.50 per vol.,
in cloth, small Bvo. : s •
• PAMPHLETS AND MAGAZINES.
From W. B. ZIEBER, South. Third St., Phila.
'delphi - h., we have received ....141 Am - wool) FOR MAY,
containing: The Ministry and the Budget; Mrs.
Beauchamp'S Vengeance; Motley's History of the
Netherlands;. The Euthanasia of the Ottoman Em
pire; The , Executor; The. Origin of Species—a
New Song; Stanhope's Life of Pitt.
Also THE NoRTH BRITISH ItavrEw, for May,
•
containing:, Present Movernent in the Church of
England—very able and instructive; Alexis de
Toequeville;"Poems and Plays of Robert Brown
ing; Bishop Herd and his Contemporaries; Rail
way Accidents;,; Motley's United Netherlands;
Berkeley's Idealism; F Dr. John Brown's Hem
Subsecivm; The Educational auestion in Scotland;
The Christian Architecture of Europe; The Ame
rican Secession—the most candid and just of any
of the extended discussions of our troubles by
English writers.
PATRIOTIC MUSIC.- We lave received from
Messrs: DITSON & CO. ' Boston, several pieces of
music, including our National Airs. The medley
in which all these airs are included, is very fine,
and admirably arranged.
•
'
THE ECLECTLO FOR JUNE;' W. If. BIDWELL,
Editor and Proprietor, contains a -rich variety of
selected articles, 28 in ,puniber ' -with engraved
portraits of Jackson, Clay, and Webster, in one
plate, arid accompanying biographical sketches.
Many of the patrons of this valuable monthly will
be glad to learn that an Index to the whole fifty
volumes has been prepared, and will be mailed to
any address, post-paid, for $l.OO. This, by ren
dering accessible the great stores of literary trea
sure contained in the work, will, double its value.
The price of the monthly is $5.00 per annum.
NATURE'S ALPHABET.
Nature's alphabet is made up of only four let
ters-4wood, water, reek, and soil; yet with those
four letters she forms such wond,rons compositions,
such infinite eombinationg, as no language of
ttretitY-fOur letters cane describe. Nature never
gro - ws old; - she has no provincialism. The lark
carols .the; same song in. tbe seams key as when
Adam turned his delighted ear.to catch the strain
the owl still hoots a B fiatf yet loves the note, and
screams through no 'other "octave; the stormy pe
trel is as much delighted to sport among the first
waves of the Lidian Ocean as in the earliest times;
birds that - lived nn - sflies laid bluish, eggs when
Isaac went put into the fields, at eventide, as they
will two thousand years hence, if the world does
not break her harness from the orb of day. The
sun is as bright ns.when Lot entered the city of
Zonr. The diamond and the pnyx and the topaz
f Ethiopia are still as' , splendid, and the vultures'
eye is as fiece is when Job took up his parable.
41 short, nature's pendulum has never altered its
strokes.
A SOUTH CAROLINA REMOTER IN
old number of the Philadelphia Gazette,
.which bears date November` 5, 1795, contains the
followingonotice:--
"Died, on the 6th of October last, at Beaufort)
in South Carolina, the Rev, Mr. Matthew Tate,
in the 46th year of his age."
In his will - were the following paragraphs:—
"I enjoin it upon'my executor to publish it in
all the newspapers in Charleston, that Ideparted
this life in the fail Rersuasion that if I died in
possession of a slave, I should not conceive myself
admissible into the kingdom of heaven.
"Acquaint Dr. Rush, of Philadelphia, of my
decease, an& request him to pablishlhe above per
suasion in that city."
June 6,